Warwick Davishas credited his late co-starVal Kilmeras “the reason” he made it through the production of Ron Howard’s 1998 fantasy-adventure filmWillow. Davis starred as the movie’s titular character, Willow Ufgood, while Kilmer played the charmingly offbeat mercenary and swordsman Madmartigan — but it turns out that his skills didn’t stop at those he demonstrated in combat; he was also a spirited “leader” who spurred on his colleagues. Davis told Entertainment Weekly at the opening of Universal Epic Universe in Orlando:
“He’s really the reason I got through the making of the filmWillowbecause if ever I was tired, exhausted, fed up, cold, he’d say, ‘Come on, keep going!’ And he’d be the kind of leader of the army, keeping us going. He was a beautiful man.”
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Davis joins a chorus ofHollywood stars who have paid tributeand shared fond memories of Kilmer in the wake of his death. The actor, who delivered iconic cinematic performances in the likes ofBatman Forever, Top Gun,andHeat(to name but a few), died of pneumonia on April 1 at the age of 65 after battling throat cancer for several years. His career spanned many collaborations with industry professionals, and it seems like he made a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to work with him, including Davis, who admitted, “I always like to tell the world how great he was, because I often think the media gave the wrong impression of who he was as a person. He was a very warm, generous, kind-hearted person.”
Val Kilmer Was Originally Part of ‘Willow’ Disney+ Series Plans
Willowwas one of the highest-grossing movies that Kilmer starred in. It grossed nearly $140 million at the global box office, quadrupling its production budget of $35 million, so it came as no surprise when it was resurrected as a swords and sorcery series on Disney+ in 2022. Davis reprised his lead role in theWillowsequel series, andKilmer was originally part of the plans, but Covid protocols meant it was not safe for him to travel for filming following his throat cancer diagnosis. Therefore, he was not able to commit to the role, which was disappointing as both he and showrunner Jon Kasdan wanted to bring Madmartigan back to screens.
The team behind theseries managed to find a way to honor Kilmer and his character. The sixth episode featured Kilmer and Joanne Whalley’s real-life son, Jack Kilmer, as the voice of Madmartigan, speaking to his on-screen daughter to entice her through a portal. Val Kilmer lost his natural speaking voice as a result of surgery he had to treat his cancer, but hefound a way to help with the recordingand his performance was used as a guide track, which Kasdan felt was important because he’d always been “such an intrinsic part” of theWillowfamily.
It was understood that Kilmer would have liked to return to the screen if the opportunity had allowed, but the show was axed after one season despite a positive response from critics, which earned it an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, those that missed it at the time are not able to view it now, as the controversial decision was made to removeWillow(solely the series, not the film) from Disney+ shortly after its cancellation.
Source:Entertainment Weekly
